Pressure releasable wrench



c. A. LATlMjER v 2,358,461 PRESSURE RELEASABLE WRENCH Filed Oct. 28, 1942 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 7 G ia/Mw. QOZZMMM/ &

Patented Sept. 19, 1944 l. STATE 7 Application October 28, 19452, Serial No. 463318 2 Claims. (CI. 81-60) invention has for its I object to provide a w ench for rotatably manipulating an element havinga threaded portion for, screwing the element into. or onto a threaded member, and a means for releasing the pressure that may be exerted by the wrench ata desired adjustable pressure point in rotating the element with reference tothe member to prevent an excess interengaging pressurebetween the threadsof the element and the member. I

The invention. thus provides a releasable resilient, member for releasing the rotative pressure'of the wrench, and preventfurther rotation of'the element by the wrench when the resistance to rotation of the element reaches a predetermined point.

The invention, particularly, consists in a pressure releasable wrench having a rotatable ratchet or' a rotatable co-acting dog to enable step by step movement of one of the rotatable parts that may be connected either to the ratchet or the dog and of desired variablelengths and means for engaging one of .the parts at apoint in the movement of the wrench, or at points spaced suffie ciently to prevent're-engagement of the wrench at a suceeedingpoint of engagement when the. wrenchis released while under pressure.

Structures containing the invention may partake of different forms and may be varied in their details and. still embody the V invention. To illustrate the practical application of the inventiton, I have selected and :a modification thereof .asexamples of" the various structures containing the invention and will describe-the wrench hereinafter, it being understood that certainfeatures ofmy invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use .ofother features of the invention and without departing from the spirit of the invention as presented :inthe-claims. The particular structures selected are shown in the accompany ing drawings.

'Fig. 1 of thedrawings illustrates one edge view.

of- ,one form of the 'wrenc Fig. 2 illustrates a side view of the WIEIlChu gitudinal section ofend part of the wrench. Fig. 4- illustratesaview of a. cross section of a bar ystop or anchor means for engaging, a resilient bar to vary thelengthof the part yieldable to a deflecting pressure and vary the wrench 're-:

lease pressure. @Fig. 5-is a view of a section of the anchor shown in Fig. 4:, taken onrthe plane of theline 5+5.. Fig. 6 illustrates a side view of a modified form of the releasable wrench. Fig. '7

isanedge-view of the wrench shown in-Fi 6..

Fig-3.illustrates a m Fig. 8 is a longitudinal head. Fig. 9 is a viewer a section of the adjustable stop or anchortaken on the planeofthe line 9 -9 indicated in Fig. '7. e V

The wrench l has a coupling 2 for connecting a rotative part of the wrench, with a threaded a pressure releasable wrench element. The coupling may engaging means for engaging as square or hexagonal,

have any suitable the element, such solid, protruding end parts for engaging an element having a corresponding socket, or it may have socketed end parts for engaging elements having solid ends. The. wrench maybe provided with an annular ratchet 5 having an inner ratchet surface and an outer cylindrical surface.. Thefcentral part of the coupling 2 is located within the ratchet and is provided with a dog I slidably supported in a socket or recessformed within the coupling 2. The dog 1 has a suitable tooth for sequentially engaging the teeth of the ratchet to rotate the coupling 5. The dog 1 is preferably diametrically disposed in the couplingZ and is pressed by a spring 8 located withina socket. The exterior cylindrical surface of the ratchet 4 has one or more shallow recesses I l'-, preferably two or four, that are spaced from each other alongv the cylindrical surface of the ratchet 5. The surfaces of the recesses slope relative to each otherat about and make substantially the same angle with the radius of the ratchet, through the line of meeting of the surfaces.

The wrench l may slide along the outer cylindrical surface of the ratchet ,5, and to engage in one of the. recesses H.

The angle .ofthe surfaces of the comerof theblock is also preferably about 90 to substantially fit in the recesses Il:;with a. relatively slight.

clearance. An elastic bar .25 is located in .the shell H and is disposed so-that one end is in engaging relation with the block to yieldingly press the corner part 24- of the block 2| in adirection to causeit to press-against the surface ofthecye lindrical surface of the ratchet and to pivotally move the corner part of the block into the're'.-.

cesses ll when rotation of the ratchet produces registration. If the resistanceto further rota;

tion of thecoupling by reason of the thread pressure of the element is sufiiciently. great, the block section of the wrench be provided with a head l2; and the ratchet 5 and the coupling may be. The head l2,

Thev block has a corner part24 that is adapted to part of the block by the manual the threaded element.

The recesses I have relatively sloping side surfaces corresponding substantially to the side surfaces 24 of the block. Also they slope at the same angle to the radii of the ratchet where they nut 50 with reference to a gauge .'I'he b01t';eXt8I1dS through a slot 52 meet or intersect. The action and counteraction of the surfaces of the block and the recess'are first to prevent movement of the ratchet by the'.-.-..

rotation of the wrench, unless the engaging and rotative pressure the bar at the point or line of recess and the block is greater than the resistance to rotation produced between the surfaces of the threads. The opposed-engaging surfaces of the'block and the recesses *ofthe ratchet operate to tilt the block 2| and to slide cne" surface on the other, or the corner of" the bloclgon-one of the sloping surfaces of theengaged recess until the-corner part 24 oft-he block 2| is forced from the recess. Theo'uter end of the bar is,- preferably, -tightly' socketed in the outer end 'of the shell' I Tor handle and the outward movement of the cor-ner part 24 is rapidly increasingly resisted =by'the bar 25 due to the displacement of its end andthe flekure of its -end'part until-the ratchet is movedor-the corner of the block slips fromthe recess. This results in the productiorrof con,-

stant ngagi-ng pressure when the element reaches a" definite resistance torotation. Preferably, the block 21' has-a curved surface 26; that engages the end The surface 26 rocks block -ist-i'lted The shell '|'|"is'provided with a slot Z-l and a block or anchor" is 'sl-idablylocated in the slot 21- formed in the wall of' the shell." The anchor 281's also locatedirr a: pair of coaXia-lly located threaded sleeves '34' a'nd 35. One end part 3| of the anchor protrudes outwardly-to extend over end-edgesof the shells and the other end part 32 has a sloping-surface inclined to the axis of the shell thatis'engagedby the outer-shell to clamp the anchor against the'pa-ir-of-shells" and' the elastic bar 25. 'Theinner of thesleeves has a slot 3 of short -length t'o receive the enlarged end part 32 of the anchor. The enlarged end part 32 hasaninclined" surface-that is engaged :byv anjend edge of [the outer sleeve 35' (Fig. 5) to force'the lower end of. the anchor inwardly withinthe slot .offthe inner sleeve 34 and the slotZzl of the shell IT to engage and anchor or lock the -bar.25 tothe-shell 'I'J'at a d'esired'point H to vary theyportionof the bar along the shell that isflexed and'therebyyary the elastic. resist-.

ance' of thebar to a bendingmovement. The anchor and the. sleeves readily slide along the shell when .'.the anchor is disengaged by the outer sleeve, andthe sleeves-and anchor are thus 7 the shell and is slidable in the slot produced by the elasticity of the corners'of the,

V oft-he elastic-bar 25: on the end'of the bar as the easily located at a point to produce the desired yielding. resistanceto the release of the ratchet by theiblock. 21] .when' it engages the. ratchet.

.gThe chief difierenoebetween thedifiern'tforms of construction shownin bloclrZl, best shown in Fig. 3, .is omitted and the elastic bar .4| directly engages the recesses 11 of the ratchet-5. The end of the bar 4|v the drawings is that the has end 7 surfaces locatedgsubstantiallyiati90= to each other:

:- member *when to form the ratchet engaging corner 42. The corner enters recess II as they register with the corner upon relative return rotation of the wrench and then upon forward rotation to move the threaded element relative to the threaded memher.

The bar 4| is secured in a shell in the form of a channel 44 is substantially square or oblong in cross section as appears-in Fig. 9 and a saddle 41 located exterior to the shell anda block 48 located intermediate the bar 4| and the shell 44 may be secured in any desired position by a bolt and located in the saddle. formed in with the block and-thesaddle to any desired position with reference to the gauge 5|. The block 48 forms an anchor means or stop to vary the length of the bend or deflected part of the-bar 41 by the resistance to rotation of the ratchet; or the coupling, orthe threaded element that the wrenc' hfls connected with'by the coupling. The operations of the two mm of structures are substantially the samew 7 -Iclaim:; 1. Ina wrench, a bodyzpa'rt and a head part; a 'rotatably supported annular member located in the head part and having an outercylindrical surface a .rotatablysu'pported coupling located in and rot-atably supported relative-to ethernemberg the member having a female ratchet formed on the -inner---'surface of the member and a plurality of recesses located on outer-"cylindrical surface of the ratchet and extending transverse the thickness of the membereach'ofthe recesses having plane relative sloping surfaces located at part on the shell 44 and in part on an angel to 'ach other; the coupling having a" part froma recessand-the rota-tion of the me'nrber relative to the -shell; :ananchor part slid ably supported on the 'shell for positively engaging the -bar.;--and means for adliis'tably securi-ngthe-anchor p'artalong the bar to vary the lengthof the bendable T part of the bar and the resistance -to -'-the rotation of the bar and until the recess.=

. 2. .In..a wrench, a body.- part :and ahead part; a rotatably supported the saidend part {is forced from surface; .a .r'otatably supported coupling: x

in and rotatably.supported relative to the mam-- ber;.' the membenhaving a 'female' ratchet formedon the inner surface of' the member and l aplurality of recesseslocated on the "outer'cy-lindrl 5 cal surface of the ratchet and extending trans verse the thickness of located at an angle to ea'ch other :the coupling having a, radially .slidab'lyu supported spring for engaging the ratchetf of theconnecting the coupling to the :o'nemoves in :one direction relapressed Idogi member .and,

, by the rivet pins 45. The bar I ratchet of the member andconnectin the coupling tothe member when member by the Wrench-when the recess is engaged by" the s'aid annular men'iber located-:-

in the head part and having an outer icylindrlcal- Y thednember, eachot the recesses .having plane relatively sloping surfaces tive to the other and to release the connection s when one moves in the opposite direction relative to the other; an elastic bar located in the body part of the shell and having an end part for engaging a surface recess of the member and for yieldingly resisting displacement of the said end part from the recess and the rotation of the member relative to the head; a pair of coaxially located threaded sleeves slidably supported on the body part; an anchor part slidw ably supportedon the body part and with reference to the bar and connected to the sleeves; and. means operated by the sleeves for securing the anchor part to the shell and. positively engage the bar to adjust the yieldable length of the bar to the movement of the engaging means and vary the elastic resistance of the bar to the movement of the wrench.

CHARLES A. LATIMER 

